


I'm Breathing in Just to Feel It's Side with His

by GravityWhatGravity



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Get Together, M/M, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-23
Updated: 2014-11-23
Packaged: 2018-02-26 19:11:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2663114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GravityWhatGravity/pseuds/GravityWhatGravity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason and Nico, and how they came together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm Breathing in Just to Feel It's Side with His

**Author's Note:**

> This kinda got away from me. Title from My Fault by Imagine Dragons.

Nobody warned Nico about overprotective big brother Jason.

  He wanted a refund.

 Because, seriously, he didn’t require someone sat with him for every meal time, at every camp fire. Nico wasn’t an avid believer in brooding. If he was mad or upset or anything it had a reason, even if that reason was stupid or hormonal or entirely based on finding a mythomagic card under his bed in a plastic sleeve that _would_ have kept it in mint condition if it wasn’t for the singed corner.

  Still, they were his reasons and he had a right to disclose them if he wanted, just as he had the right to keep quiet and be sad. (But only in a safe, healthy way. A way that involved telling Reyna if he did anything stupid during said emotional patches. She’d drilled that rule into him when she was fourteen and only spent the past three years reinforcing it with hugs and sparring matches.)

  But when Jason was involved, those quiet meals alone where he could generally think about life and all that philosophical stuff? Gone. It was _irritating_. The only time he let Nico ate without him was when he had some nice sibling bonding when Hazel and/or Reyna visited, or sat with Will, and even then he stopped by to give the son of Apollo a ‘don’t break his heart again’ glare which was completely ridiculous. And untrue, because _mutual break-ups are a thing, Jason._

The worst part was that he couldn’t just tell him to go away. Because Jason would do that stupid kicked puppy face like all he wanted to do was make Nico happy and-

  No. The worst part was that he seemed to be entirely honest. Nico had accepted that Jason actually enjoyed his company, and vice versa, a long time ago, but even the kicked puppy face seemed completely earnest. Jason wasn’t even trying to be a manipulative bastard. He was just being a really nice guy.

  (And if Nico blushed when Reyna and Dakota bitch faced when he complained, telling him that if it bugged him so much they knew full well he’d do a lot more then complain. Well-

  No one had to know.)

***

Nico was pretty sure he’d always thought Jason was attractive. Between saving the world and settling into camp and the two year friendship come relationship with Will, he’d only had a year to really appreciate it. Even factoring in the 3 month phase after Will where they settled into a routine that didn’t involve banter and flirting as their prime communication, that was a full 9 months of time to accept Jason’s attractiveness. By now it was just another fact; the sky is blue, Gwen’s brownies are the best, Jason is attractive.

  So, he honestly didn’t expect it to hit him that hard when a very sweaty, very shirtless Jason pulled him into a hug. A very warm, very hard hug.

  Because _Gods_ real people don’t have abs like that.

  Needless to say, he pulled away pretty quickly.

  “What’s up?” Kudos where kudos were due, Jason pulled back, hands at his sides, the second Nico showed signs of being uncomfortable. Though he did lean down to be eye level with Nico, so less kudos.

  (“5”4 is a normal height.” “Nico. You’re small. Shh.”)

  Nico gave him a grimace, “I don’t appreciate being smothered in sweat.” Or shirtless hugs. Seriously. Usually in the summer Thalia visited to help deal with the onslaught of summer campers and Nico spent his time helping Percy teach some of the special snowflakes lucky enough to be born with extra gifts from the gods how to control themselves, among other things. But Thalia was on some top secret hunter mission, and Reyna had left in a rush a few hours ago when she caught wind of a sudden surge of monster attacks in New York, iris messaging a little later to say she was safe.  So. Shirtless sparring, shirtless hugs.

  Jason laughed at that, more than he should have, head tilted back and blue eyes scrunched up.

  Nico shadow travelled to Reyna’s room within five minutes to complain, remembered she wasn’t there, then ended up lying on Gwen’s couch with his head in her lap while Dakota and Hazel made dinner.

  (He complained anyway. Just. Subtly. Hazel might not care that he was gay, but he sure as Hades wasn’t giving her details on their mutual, attractive friend.)

***

“Shhh,” Jason’s voice was soft, breath brushing against Nico’s ear. His hands were pale against the black of Nico’s hair, fingers brushing through the knots.

  “Jay…” Nico blinked, eyes bleary from sleep- and holy crap Jason’s face was very close. _Holy crap your eyes are very blue_ close.

  Suddenly he felt a lot more awake.

  Jason smiled, soft as his voice and his hands in Nico’s hair and _his hand that just cupped his cheek._ He resisted the urge to turn his face into it.

  “You fell asleep in my room,” – movie night, right – “So I figured I’d let you sleep here tonight.” And here was… Jason’s bed. Right. After Thalia stayed in the Zeus cabin again she pretty much demanded the interior be redone. The giant statue had been replaced with four king sized beds and far more gaming systems then anyone, especially Jason, required. But, of course, Jason would give up his bed for Nico.

  It still didn’t explain Nico’s position, tucked between the curve of Jason’s body and the steel of his arm. That hand hadn’t stopped carding through it hair, moving in time with the thumb stroking across the line of his cheekbone. It was soothing, and Nico almost felt himself drifting to sleep. He frowned. He really should leave, give Jason his own bed…

   “I’m- Sorry. I. Shouldn’t have-“Jason’s face was heating up quite nicely. Red was a good colour on him.

  But those hands stopped in their tracks. Pushed Nico away, trying to lay him down with the least amount of contact-

  He’d learnt the best way to tell Jason he was okay was to just show it.

  “Nnngh,” Nico reached out, grabbing the soft fabric of Jason’s t shirt and dragging him down. He almost blushed, realising just how that sounded, but the wave of embarrassment stopped as Jason dragged him closer. His shin had pretty hard collision with Jason’s knee, and he was certain he’d be freezing when he woke up, in the cabin without a blanket.

  And _gods._ Even if he did shadow travel to his cabin, when Will or Annabeth or Percy asked how his movie night was-

  He fell asleep wrapped in Jason’s arms feeling safer and warmer than he had in years.

  ***

See, he’d noticed Jason was attractive before. Something about the sharp slant of his nose, the curve of his lips and brush of his eyelashes on his cheek just screamed _pretty_. It was funny, because really Jason was anything but. He was dangerous and impulsive on the surface, radiating a demand for respect and a kind of raw power.

  Underneath.

   Underneath he was overprotective and caring and occasionally smothering and always so earnest. Everything he did, he did with conviction and honestly.

   So when Nico flinched at an arm around his shoulders – stupid, he’d done it so many times before, but the nightmares and – Jason backed away. Not obviously, with his hands raised up the way Percy sometimes did. Just away.

  He caught Nico’s eye with a small smile, eyes filled with worry and care.

  Thinking back, he probably loved him a little then.

***

The first time they kissed, Jason was panicking.

  He’d held Nico in his arms, on his lap, trying to calm down from his nightmare. It had been small, nothing like the shaking bones and quivering lips from the days after the war. Now his bones were padded with muscle and a thin layer of fat, hands strong and steady as they clutched the back of his shirt. Nico’s eyes were wet, but he’d stopped crying as we woke.

   Jason’s hands stroked his back, feeling the milky skin where the cotton of his shirt rode up. He pushed it further, feeling each bump in the smaller boy’s spine-

  He shivered, so Jason backed away. He’d gone too far, pushed too far and Nico didn’t want-

   Then there was a pressure on his lips. Soft and insistent and-

  Oh.

  Nico was shifting, moving to straddle Jason’s legs and deepen the kiss.

  _Oh._

***

Afterwards nothing really changed. Not really.

  Jason still believed that Nico should sit with someone every mealtime, but he was a lot more likely to make that someone him. He still slung an arm around the smaller boy’s frame, even if it was just to pull him close enough to kiss.

  And yeah, Jason still pulled him into shirtless hugs, and he still pulled away when Nico froze.

  And Nico was still a firm believer that the best way to tell Jason he’s okay is to show it.

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to comment with any mistakes/corrections. Thanks for reading!  
> [Buy Me a Coffee](https://ko-fi.com/B0B88AC1)


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